The inventive concept relates generally to the management of semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
The manufacture of semiconductor devices is a highly complex endeavor involving the design and execution of many different processes, such as thin-film deposition, photolithography, etching, cleaning, etc. Many thin-film deposition processes and etching processes require the use of a “plasma reaction”. In general, a plasma reaction involves the generation of charged ions from a source gas, followed by the direction the charged ions towards a wafer (or wafer portion) on which one or more semiconductor devices is being manufactured.
However, the generation and/or use of certain plasma reactions may lead to the development of unwanted residues on the inner surface(s) and/or parts of a chamber in which the plasma reaction is performed. Certain polymeric residues, for example, may accumulate on chamber surfaces and parts to the point where the efficiency of subsequent manufacturing processes performed in a “contaminated” chamber may be markedly reduced. Accordingly, chambers used to generate plasma reactions must be subjected to routine preventive maintenance.
Unfortunately, routine preventive maintenance can be costly, is sometimes less than fully effective, and always results in at least some equipment downtime. Thus, while necessary to ensure the successful execution of subsequently performed manufacturing processes, routine preventive maintenance must be managed judiciously to minimize cost and interruption of equipment use, and should be carefully monitored to ensure effectiveness.